Influence of shearing regime and grass silage quality on the performance of pregnant ewes

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe performance of housed ewes, shorn at various stages during pregnancy and offered silages ad libitum made from grass harvested at two contrasting stages of growth, was studied. The mean increase in silage dry matter (DM) intake due to shearing (0·11 kg/day; P > 0·05) was small in comparison with that resulting from offered earlier-cut silage (0·27 kg/day; P < 0·001). The mean increase in twin lamb birth weight from ewes shorn at least 6 weeks before lambing was almost 1 kg per lamb (P < 0·01) with no significant effect on ewe live-weight change. Greatest increase in lamb birth weight (1·11 kg; P < 0·01) was produced by shearing several times during pregnancy, with least response (0·23 kg; P < 0·05) from shearing once only, 4 weeks before lambing. The effect of silage quality on lamb birth weight was not significant, despite the large difference in DM intake of the two silages. This difference in intake was reflected by ewe live-weight change over pregnancy with those ewes offered early-cut silage gaining 5·57 kg while those offered late-cut silage lost 4·53 kg (P < 0·001). There was a marked fall in respiration rate and rectal temperature after each shearing and, compared with shorn ewes, unshorn ewes had a mean gestation length which was 2·04 days shorter (P < 0·01). In terms of lamb growth rates, ewe milk yields and milk composition, the performance on all treatments after turn-out to pasture was satisfactory and no significant carry-over effect of treatments applied during pregnancy were observed during the first 5 weeks of lactation.